When to Take Social Security + A Lesson In Global Economics

When should I take Social Security? That is by far one of the most common questions we get. It's such a tough one to answer because each case is unique. Do you need the money? Are you healthy? Those are just a couple of the questions that need to be asked...and that's what we did when we kicked off the show with David from Minneapolis.

It’s pretty rare that I have a legit economist on the show. It’s even rarer when said legit economist is a woman -- WOOT!

On this episode we check both those boxes with Linda Yueh, an economist who holds senior academic positions at Oxford University, London Business School, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Linda joined us to discuss her latest book, What Would the Great Economists Do?: How Twelve Brilliant Minds Would Solve Today's Biggest Problems.

Since the days of Adam Smith, economists have grappled with a series of familiar problems – but often their ideas are hard to digest, even before we try to apply them to today's issues. In her latest book, Linda explains the key thoughts of history's greatest economists, how our lives have been influenced by their ideas and how they could help us with the policy challenges that we face today.

In the light of the post-Great Recession economy, where growth has not accelerated as fast as in previous expansions, Yueh explores the thoughts of economists from Adam Smith and David Ricardo to contemporary academics Douglass North and Robert Solow.

Along the way, she asks, what do the ideas of Karl Marx tell us about the likely future for the Chinese economy? How do the ideas of John Maynard Keynes, who argued for government spending to create full employment, help us think about state intervention? And with globalization in trouble, what can we learn about handling Brexit and Trumpism?

Linda is also an accomplished journalist, who has spent time as an anchor/correspondent at the BBC and Bloomberg TV. With a strong social media presence, she’s worth a follow so you don’t miss any of her smart blog posts.

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"Jill on Money" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.